Nature Vs. Nurture

The Nature Vs. Nurture debate caught my eye in the reading.  In looking at any single persons' life it makes a lot of sense that nature, or the genes they inherit, and nurture, the diet, environment, and ultimately upbringing of a child affect a persons overall life.  The reading poses the question, How much of any characteristic, behavior, or emotion results from genes and how much from experience?

Including my own life story can help answer this question.  I grew up in an alcoholic household.  My father was an alcoholic, my grandfather was an alcoholic, and my grandfathers father was an alcoholic.  It is safe to say that I am genetically exposed to alcoholism, or that it is in my nature to become an alcoholic.  But that does not mean that as a child I was guaranteed to become one.  Now for the Nurture piece.  I grew up always running away from the house because that was how I taught myself to cope with the situation.  I also had a mother who was willing to enable me at every turn.  The genetic makeup coupled with the fact that I was enabled by my mother, hung out with kids that liked to party, and always was around drinking as a child, led me to become an alcoholic.  (There are more reasons but these are a few that relate to the nature vs nurture debate)  It was not because of just nature, or just nurture that I chose the path I did.  But when you add in both Nature and Nurture it gives a strong explanation for why I became an alcoholic.  Hopefully this post shows why the question of Nature vs Nurture is a how much question and not a which one question.


Berger, Kathleen Stassen. The Developing Person Through the Life Span (Page 5). Worth Publishers. Kindle Edition.